India’s SpiceJet under fire for mid-air song, dance

NEW DELHI : Indian budget airline SpiceJet said Thursday it has run into trouble with the aviation regulator for performing a mid-air song and dance sequence to celebrate the popular Hindu festival of Holi.

Cabin crew on five SpiceJet flights across India performed a two-a half-minute dance routine to a popular Bollywood song to entertain passengers on Monday for Holi, the annual festival of colours which marks the start of spring.

But the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was hardly amused, slapping the airline a notice with the carrier reportedly facing a suspension of its licence over the dance, which was filmed by some passengers and uploaded online.

The airline has suspended a co-pilot who was seen in one of the videos outside the cockpit, filming the event himself on his smartphone. An airline spokeswoman said the plane was never in danger, with at least one pilot and a crew member staying in the cockpit at all times during the dance sequence.

“The DGCA has said that the dance could have created an unruly environment on the aircraft,” said the spokeswoman, who did not want to be named.

Millions of Indian revelers across the country celebrate the festival of Holi by splashing coloured water and powder on each other.

SpiceJet did none of that on board but smeared passengers’ foreheads with a pinch of powder, a traditional Indian way of welcoming guests.

Regional budget airlines have been in the news previously for unconventional acts during flights. In the Philippines in 2010, cabin crew on a Cebu Pacific flight performed the safety demo with a dance routine to a Lady Gaga song that become a YouTube sensation.